‘The X-Files’: Chris Carter talks ‘improbable’ comedy of ‘Jose Chung’

May 18, 2013 | 8:46 p.m.

“The X-Files” remains a moody and mysterious hallmark of science fiction television, even as the show celebrates its 20th anniversary this year. But amid the conspiracies and monsters-of-the-week, there were famously funny moments, too.

The episode “Jose Chung’s From Outer Space” from the series’ third season remains a high point in terms of showcasing the show’s ability to garner laughs, and it was one of three episodes showcased in a tribute to “The X-Files” that closed the fourth annual Hero Complex Film Festival in Hollywood.

At the event, the show’s creator Chris Carter, along with the writer of the episode, Darin Morgan, and his brother and another longtime “X-Files” writer Glen Morgan, recalled his surprise about the way “Jose Chung’s” broadened the stylistic scope of the series.

“You can never imagine where it’s going to go,” Carter said. “To do an episode like ‘Jose Chung,’ which is still such an improbable episode for any TV show, that it would be funny, that Mulder and Scully were terrific comedic actors, that they had the range, that was the amazing thing.”

Watch the video to hear more from Carter and the Morgans about the show.

The fourth annual Hero Complex Film Festival kicked off May 10 at the Chinese 6 Theatres with a John Carpenter double feature and feisty Q&A. Saturday afternoon brought a screening of “The Mist” and a discussion of that film’s shocking ending with writer-director Frank Darabont and surprise guest Thomas Jane.

Saturday night belonged to Guillermo del Toro, who shared an exclusive preview of his upcoming “Pacific Rim” and gave lively responses to questions between showings of “The Devil’s Backbone” and “Pan’s Labyrinth.”

Comments

Still one of the greatest TV episodes from any genre, show ro decade. I remember this episode hitting me like a train. It was so out there and so very meta- something that would later become an (if anything, overused) staple of the later series.